I'm (Not) Okay
by hochmodel
Summary: Felix's father-in-law comes into town, much to his excitement but Calhoun's mysterious fear. As he unravels this family dynamic, he discovers that there is MUCH more to Tamora's past than just a programmed fiancee. Family, it seems, can cause more tragedy and torture than any lost love. Warning: VERY SAD!


**I have written another story having to so with their families; this story is completely independent of that. I do not own the Wreck it characters or I'm Okay by Christina Aguilera. I do own Malcolm. **

"I can't wait to meet your father, Tammy," Felix exclaimed, almost jumping in the air for joy. Calhoun, uncharacteristically, hung back with her arms crossed, staying silent. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Of course, baby." She replied in monotone. Felix was a little worried about her. Mail from an arcade three blocks down had come to the Fix-it household, stating that her father would be in town. When he got excited, she glared him down. He noted she was very tense for the rest of the...well...week.

She had taken to changing into rather normal-if baggy- clothes right after her game soon after they began their courtship. She said they felt more comfortable than the tight and clunky armor she had to wear for eight hours a day. Not that he minded. Oh no, not at all. Yet, today, on the day she was supposed to meet her father in Grand Central Station with her husband, she decided to wear her armor. Felix noticed this, but thought better of saying anything.

"Hey," a deep voice from behind them said. Felix spun around to see an older man place his hand on Tamora's shoulder. She looked at the older man. He was wearing overalls that concealed his big belly, a faded dark green shirt, and brown shoes. His long, dark, greasy hair fell on his shoulders and his goatee framed his thin mouth, long nose, and beady eyes. He was carrying a beer and had a bag next to his leg. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Hey dad." She muttered. An awkward and tense silence filled the air.

"Hello, sir. My name is Fix-it Felix Jr. It is a pleasure to meet you." Felix grinned, raising a hand to his father-in-law. The man glared down at him.

"Who the hell is this squirt?!" He barked. Felix flinched, and withdrew his hand.

"He, dad, is your son-in-law." Tamora replied through gritted teeth, her bangs hanging in her face.

"Can't be. He's half your size!" The father exclaimed. "I knew you were desperate, but come on! He wouldn't survive in a war game! He ain't nothin' but an eight-bit-"

"That's enough!" Tamora snapped.

The father threw his luggage at her. "Make yourself useful. Carry this." Tamora grabbed the fallen piece of luggage. Felix stared at her, confused. Not once had he ever seen Calhoun take orders. Ever! Much less from someone who put it so rudely. "I know you're worthless and screw everything up, but even you can't mess up carrying luggage. But I could be proven wrong." He hungrily gulped his beer down.

"No, sir, let me take it." Felix said, forcing a smile to get her father off of her back. That, and he would _never _make a _lady _carry luggage. That would be so rude! The father glared at her, and she winced.

_Tamora never winces! _Felix thought, the pieces in his mind beginning to come together. The father turned to him. "No. Let good-for-nothing do it. By the way, the name's Malcolm, runt." With that, he walked in front of them.

"Tammy, what was that about?" Felix asked, his eyes wide and his face full of concern.

"Welcome to the family." She replied, emotionless. She followed her father. Felix slowly followed them, downcast and anxious.

)))))))))))))))

"Here, sir, is where you will be staying." Felix nervously grinned, casting his hand towards the guest bedroom in the penthouse. Malcolm stumbled into the room. Tamora winced again, and got a distant look on her face. _That's the same look she got when I called her a dynamite gal, _Felix thought.

"It'll do. Throw me my luggage." He demanded. Tamora tossed it to him. The grabbed the door, about to close it. "By the way," he started, looking into her eyes. "you're worthless momma died. They unplugged her game." He slammed the door on a shaken and shocked Tamora.

"Oh Tammy, I'm so sorry." Felix said, attempting to pat her thigh in sympathy. She jerked away from him.

"I have to train." She all but sprinted out of the hallway, leaving a confused and hurt Felix.

)))))))))))))))

"Come to think of it, it explains a lot." Ralph told him at Tappers, taking a big swig of his root beer. Flashing back to Malcolm's gulps, Felix winced.

"I always attributed her attitude and issues to her back story, though." Felix asked, glancing around the bar nervously. If Tammy EVER caught him saying she had issues...he didn't want to think about it.

"That would only last for so long. Besides, so her fiancee got eaten. You get over these things when you find someone else. Especially if the fiancee never existed."

"Still can't believe he implied that I was too short for her." Felix muttered, still upset that his father-in-law commented on a long-time insecurity for him.

"Implied?!" Ralph laughed. Felix glared at him. "Where is she now?" He asked, still chucking.

"Still 'training'" he said, quoting "training". "She's been gone for a good few hours." he continued, concern growing in his voice. "I'm worried about her. Ever since we got the mail that he was coming down, she's been distant and tense. Now I'm beginning to see why. I mean, her mother dies and THAT'S how he tells her?! How insensitive!" Felix exclaimed incredulously, throwing his arms in the air.

"Geez, and I thought I had it bad with you guys." Ralph said, putting his sugary drink down. Felix held his sad head in his hands. "How long is he staying?"

"A week." He replied, hopelessly.

"Good luck to you." Ralph replied with transparent pity. Felix said nothing.

"Come on, let's check on that lil' lady of yours." Ralph said, putting a few bills on the table. He and Felix both left Tappers and continued to Hero's Duty. "I'll wait for you at the game entrance."

)))))))

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"_Daddy, no, please stop!"_

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"_I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" _

Bang. Bang.

"_Daddy- OW! Whatever I did, I'm sorry! Please stop hitting me!"_

Bang. Bang.

"_Leave mommy alone!"_

"AAAH!" She screamed, tossing her gun aside. The bullet-filled cybug head had since run out of green blood. The cupped her head with her hands. "Get it together-"

"_You're nothing but a worthless piece of crap!" Malcolm drunkenly screamed, back-handing his tear-filled daughter. A young Tamora, about five, cupped her bruised cheek. _

"Cahoun, get it together-"

"_You're just like your mother! Useless! Why on earth I even had you, I don't know! Must have been the alcohol." He hissed, throwing his offspring to the ground. _

"_Mommy, make him stop!" She screamed, pleading her mother with her tear-stained and sobbing face. But she did nothing. She sat in her chair and continued to polish her gun. _

"_MOM-OW!"_

"AAAAH!" She shrieked, shaking her head. "I knew it! I knew him coming down would be horrible!"

"_Daddy, no!" little Tamora exclaimed, putting herself in between her fearful mother and her violent father. _

"_Get out of the way, stupid witch." Her father slurred._

"_Don't hurt mommy!" _

"_WHY YOU LITTLE-"_

"Tammy?" Felix tentatively asked. Seeing his loved one holding her head in her hands and the desperate tears spilling killed him inside. "Baby," he said, walking up to her. "Talk to me."

"_Why aren't you ever home, mommy? Why don't you ever talk to me?" Young Tamora's mother smiled, and picked up her daughter. She placed young Tamora in her lap. _

"_I need to train for my game, sweetie."_

"_It's so you don't have to be around daddy, isn't it?" Tamora asked, frowning. Her mother said nothing. "Is it my fault, how daddy treats us?" Once again, her mother said nothing._

Calhoun banged her head on her palm. "Gotta stop having flashbacks," she murmured. Felix, though, heard.

"Sweetheart." He said, motioning her to sit down on the ground. She obeyed. "What flashbacks?" He asked, wiping the tears. She smacked his hand away, then wiped the rest. She pretended not to noticed his hurt face.

"Don't worry about it."

"Sweetie, just talk to me. You can't hide much now. Your father has pretty much showed me exactly who he is withing ten seconds of meeting him."

"You mean a beating drunk?" She spat, not realizing what she had admitted.

"HE BEAT YOU?" Felix yelled in shock. Her eyes widened when she realized what she said. "So all those bruises on you..." he trailed off, horrified. "they're not from the game, are they?" She sighed and looked down.

"Not all of them." She admitted, refusing to let herself cry again.

"Why that son of a bacon!" He angrily yelped. She threw her head back and laughed. Even now, he refused to curse. Talk about sticking to your principles.

"It's okay. What's done has been done. Can't take it back. There's no use in dwelling on it," she replied to his angry stare.

"So then why are you having flashbacks?" he asked softly, attempting to keep his temper in check for her. He sat on the ground and held her hand.

"I don't know, and I wish like the dickens they'd stop."

"Tammy...how about we sleep here tonight?"

"That's not very polite." she said with a sad but teasing smile.

"Politeness be darned."

"Says the guy who's not man enough to say damned" she smirked.

"HEY!"

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"Hey, buddy, where were you last night?" Ralph asked, a little annoyed. Felix's face darkened.

"I'm not gonna make Tamora suffer by sleeping here while **Malcolm** is around," he spat angrily. His fists balled and all he could think about was punching that son-of-a-gun right in the mouth.

"Why? What happened?" Ralph asked, all annoyance fading away and replaced with concern. Felix glanced around for Malcolm. When he saw no sign of the abuser, he dropped his voice to a whisper. Ralph bent down to hear it.

"You have to promise that you won't tell **anyone! **She's trusting me with this." Ralph nodded. Felix opened his mouth, but words failed to form. How do you tell someone something that horrific?

"Well...?"

"Her father is an alcoholic and beat her and her mother."

"WHAT?!" Ralph jumped, temper quickly rising despite the nervous protests of Felix. "HOW COULD ANY-"

"SSSHHH!" Felix shushed, putting his finger to his mouth. Ralph maintained his angry frown and said nothing. "If you want to talk about it, we'll do it later at Tapper's. But not here. Malcolm is staying in the guest room."

"Then again, maybe not Tapper's if he's an alcoholic."

"Good point."

"HEY RUNT!" Felix cringed at the sound of his father-in-law's voice. The old man walked up to the two of them. "Where the hell were you two last night?!"

"She...uh...fell asleep in her game. Training hard, you know?" Felix said, shrugging. Ralph noticed how fake his smile was. Both he and Felix would rather do nothing other than tear the guy to pieces.

"She's gonna end up just like her mother one day." The man said grumpily. Felix wondered if he was hung over. "I know what I said yesterday, but come on, man. You can do better than a tall girl with anger problems and a train of baggage." He walked away from the two of them.

"Am I the only one wanting to punch his lights out?!" Ralph asked an equally upset Felix, pointing to the old man."

"No. Believe me, I would if I could in a second." Felix pushed his hat down. "Come on. Work is about to begin."

)))))))))))))))))))))))))

"_Hi, daddy!" young Tamora exclaimed, praying that today he was sober. He wasn't mean when he was. _

"_Hey sweetie!" Her father picked her up and swung her around, grinning. They both laughed as they played. _

"Stop it, Calhoun." Tamora muttered, mere seconds before the game began. Her men waited for the fear speech, but she never gave it. She didn't have the energy.

"GO, GO, GO!" They ran out to the battle ground.

"_Go, daddy, go!" young Tamora giggled as her father chased her in their favorite game: tag. _

"_Oh, honey." Malcolm stopped, his hands on his knees, panting. "You're just too fast for me." She laughed at him. "I'm going to go get a beer from the picnic basket." Her laughter immediately stopped, and her eyes traveled down to the ground. She knew what was coming. _

"Stop." She growled ferociously to herself. "Focus you worthless piece of crap."

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Malcolm gulped down his third can of beer. Felix looked at the ground blankly. Tamora pointedly looked away, unable to face the symbol of terror she had grown up with and the memories she had pushed from her mind. The three sat in the living room, listening to a low radio

"Heeey...Tamora..." they tensed at his slur. "Remember when...we used to play..tag?" he hiccuped. She dared a small smile.

"Yeah. I do." Felix smiled at her, happy that the two had at least one good memory together.

"You were so...cute." She looked at Malcolm. "I...loved you...you know." She grinned, and he swore he heard her sniffle. Felix felt a little like crying himself. Who cares if he could only say it while intoxicated?! He made Tammy happy. That's all that mattered. "Too bad you ended up like your mother...a worthless piece of crap. Nothin' more. I hate her." Her smile immediately dropped, and Felix's heart sank. Who could be so cruel?

"Why do you hate mom so much?" she softly asked, as vulnerable as her five-year-old self.

"She gave birth to you." The tense atmosphere immediately iced over. She got up from her chair and walked away. "Come back here you witch!"

"Okay, listen-" Felix began, rising from his chair.

"No, Felix. This is between me and my father. This is not your fight."

"But you're my wife!" He exclaimed incredulously. "I need to be here for you." She opened her mouth, but her father beat her to the punch.

"Two losers married. Always knew you'd end up like this." An irate Felix opened his mouth again.

"Felix, he doesn't mean it. He's intoxicated. He's not like this when he's sober." She softly said to convince him. And herself.

"How often does he get drunk!?" She never answered. The soft radio grew louder. The sad tune caught their ears, and they turned to look at the radio.

**Once upon a time there was a girl  
In her early years she had to learn  
How to grow up living in a war that she called home  
Never know just where to turn for shelter from the storm **

"_Daddy, stop hurting me!" an older Tamora yelped as her drunken father kicked her to the ground. _

"_You ruined my life you worthless trash!" Tamora's black eyes leaked tears. "If it wasn't for you, your mom and I could be happy!"_

**Hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face ****  
****Every time my father's fist would put her in her place ****  
****Hearing all the yelling I would cry up in my room ****  
****Hoping it would be over soon **

"_Baby, please stop hurting Tammy." her mother begged, much to the pleasant surprise of her daughter. His fist collided with her mother's face. _

"_Shut up, this is all YOUR FAULT!"_

**Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same ****  
****And I still remember how you kept me so afraid **

"What's with this horrible song? And why you two standing there, looking at the radio?!"

**Strength is my mother for all the love she gave ****  
****Every morning that I wake I look back to yesterday **

**And I'm OK **

"_It's okay, baby. It's okay." Her mother rocked her in her mother's lap. Both sported bruises on their arms and faces. _

"_Is daddy going to be like this forever?!" Her mother never answered. _

**I often wonder why I carry all this guilt ****  
****When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built **

"_Come back here, you little rascal!" Her father laughed, chasing her around the yard. Tamora giggled as her father faded farther and farther away from her. _

"_You'll have to catch me, daddy!" She laughed. She skidded to a halt, and looked sadly and fearfully at her father. For there on his lips was a beer can._

"_Just you wait, darlin'." He said endearingly. She ran as fast as she could, away from him, the future fading farther and farther away from her._

**Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door ****  
****The echo of a broken child screaming "please no more" **

Felix finally broke out of his trance. "Do you have any clue what you put my wife through? Do you kow the damage you have done by beating her?!" he asked Malcolm in disgust. Tamora, still transfixed by the song, said nothing.

**Daddy, don't you understand the damage you have done ****  
****To you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on ****  
**  
"So I smacked her around when she was a kid. She deserved it."

"No." He said furiously through gritted teeth. "She didn't."

**It's not so easy to forget ****  
****All the marks you left along her neck ****  
****When I was thrown against cold stairs****  
****And every day I'm afraid to come home ****  
****In fear of what I might see there **

_Tamora flinched as the door to her house opened. "Hey there, pumpkin!" Her father greeted her. Relief and happiness coursed through her veins. She ran to him and hugged him. Though her smile disappeared when she saw what was in his hand. A beer can._**  
**  
**Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same ****  
****And I still remember how you kept me so afraid **

**Strength is my mother for all the love she gave **

_The grabbed the door, about to close it. "By the way," he started, looking into her eyes. "you're worthless momma died. They unplugged her game." He slammed the door on a shaken and shocked Tamora. _

******Every morning that I wake I look back to yesterday **

**And I'm OK **

"The little witch deserved what she got. She brought herself those punishments!"

"You mean the beatings that left such scars that YEARSlater are still there?!" Felix screamed angrily.

"SHE RUINED MY LIFE!"

"HOW ON EARTH DID SHE RUIN YOUR LIFE?!"

Malcolm threw down his beer can and walked over to a transfixed Tamora. She screamed as he kicked her to the ground and kicked her face. "If **this **had never been born, I would have had a job! She required my attention, and so I had to leave my game to take care of her! It was unplugged. She made all those people homeless!" He smacked her face. "YOU ARE WHY I DRINK!" He screamed in her ear. His jaw met Felix's fist. He stumbled backwards as Felix helped Tamora up.

"It's time for you to leave." He stated in a fearfully calm tone. "No. One. Touches my wife. Not under my watch." Malcolm grumbled and walked up to his room. He turned to her. "You okay, sweetheart?" She was slightly dazed and held her hand to her aching head.

"F-f-fine. A little dizzy." She smiled sadly. "I thought that once I got my own game-I was finally an adult- he'd never do that again."

He hugged her close to him. "He won't. I promise." He looked at her. "Go get Ralph for me."

"But I don't want to leave you alone with him." He smiled.

"I'll be fine. Just please, hurry."

"No." He sighed.

"Please, Tammy!" he begged. She glared at him, but left the apartment and hurried to bring back Ralph.

"Think you can kick me out, runt?" Malcolm asked from the hallway. Felix continued looking straight ahead.

"Yes, I can. Because it's either leaving, or my pent-up anger you're gonna face. If I can carry a woman twice as tall as me into my bedroom, I can take you." He spat.

Malcolm stood over him. "There's no way you can take me."

Felix hopped up and gave him another blow in the mouth, making him bleed as he stumbled back. "Yes. I can."

Ralph burst through the door. "ALRIGHT! WHOSE JAW SO I HAVE TO BUST FOR HURTING HER?!" He screamed, referring to the bruises on her face.

"No jaw-busting, brother. Just help me get this **worthless piece of crap** to Grand Central Station."

))))))))))))))))

"You feeling okay, honey?" Felix asked as they both climbed into bed. She nodded. He drew soothing circles on her back. "It's okay, I'm here. I'll protect you."

"I don't need protection." She replied defiantly, though trying not to think about what would have happened if Felix wasn't there.

"You don't have to need protection. I **want **to protect you." He pulled her into a hug, and rubbed her back as she gave way to silent sobs. "It's okay. I'm here."

**One thing that I have noticed about abuse fics (relationship/child) is that the abuser is portrayed as always being horrible. But that's simply not true. Part of the mental torture for an abused person is being confused by the different moods of the abusers. It is easy to hate someone when they are constantly cruel to you; it's much harder to when they are kind, too. The victim just ends up confused and blames his or herself for the abuse because "If I didn't do this wrong or that wrong or said this or done that, he/she would be nice to me again." is what goes through their minds. **


End file.
